Fairytales
by Star Anise
Summary: A series of one-shots concerning the loving and much-loved Labyrinthian couple.
1. Origins

**Chapter 1: Origins**

Fae existence is truly a most peculiar thing, my dear. We are far more than humans, yet far less. We were here _(there, everywhere)_ before them and will be long after they are gone _(from the circles of this world and beyond)_. We disdain them, yet desire them.

More than that, indeed. We _need_ them.

And we will do anything _(within rules and without)_ to get them.

To _keep_ them.

Wishes and words, dawdles and dances, children and changelings…

Ah, changelings… Oh _yes_.

And that's where I and all my freaky darlings, all so great and small come in. Literally.

Let me tell you a tale, my dear._ Once upon a time…_

… _when time had no meaning…_(Well, I won't tell you how long, precisely. Don't you know it's rude to ask?)

… _**I was the first changeling.**_

_***The Erl King and the Elven Queen have been known by many names. Oberon and Titania, Herne and Mab, Annwyn and Arianrhod, Gwn Ap Nudd and Eostre. None of these are real, of course. Their true names are known only to themselves and to each other.**_

_**When the son was born to them, in the crystallized, timeless hour of twilight when the sun seems to vanish beneath the ground, it seemed that the earth screamed with a strange power and was yet silent. And they were afraid, fearing their own son as though he had been formed from cold iron.**_

_**The fae are very fond of children. And of perfection.**_

_**So they did what fae parents do. They took their imperfectly terrifying child and left him with a human family, stealing away the nice, perfect little unguarded human infant in exchange. For that was their way and it has been so ever since.**_

_**And of course, the humans did what human parents do. They screamed at finding a strange, silent sharp-toothed infant in the place of their own babe whom they had left outside of the bedroom, cursing him because of his colicky cries.**_

_****And they pricked the strange one with pins and ignored him when his silence broke and he began to wail from pain. And when he licked at the blood and the wounds healed and vanished, they took him down to the river and held him under the icy water and ignored his bubbling, gasping complaints. And when he did not drown, they set him out on the hillside, naked and cold and ignored him when he wept from loneliness and hunger. And when he did not freeze or starve they took him inside and put him inside the hot bread-oven with two eggshells full of water held in his hands. For it was their way and it has been so ever since.**_

_**They did not ignore him when he sprang screeching and fully grown from the oven, holding not eggshells but two crystals, and he laughed with a fey and terrible anger. And he said that although he had barely lived a day by the time of either world, he could see much that had been and much that would be. And dashed the crystals upon the hearth and vanished in a whirl of glittering fragments, not up the chimney but down into the ground where humans should not delve unless dead.**_

_**And he took the not-so-perfect-after-all human babe back from his parents and kept it. And they were unwanted together, along with all the other children who came after, lost and unguarded and unwanted by careless-tongued humans.**_

_**For that is the way and it has been so ever since.**_

_**At least, that is what people believe.**_

* * *

So mote it be, my dear Sarah, for don't you see? It is belief that sustains my people, human belief. Your kind, with all your insecurities and jealousies and most of all, your ridiculous religions, should know that it is far easier to believe in other people than in yourself. If people believe in you, don't you feel as if you could do anything? Stand on the shoulders of giants, move mountains with your bare hands, change the course of rivers with a song, alter the very reality you rely on for sanity? Why do you think the ones you call gods so desperately want to be worshipped and demand that you only believe in them?

When all of your kind believed in my people, it was _we_ who were gods. Whatever names they called us, whatever shapes they gave us, it was _us_.

As for myself, I left my own calling cards. After all, you must give as you take. You were hardly the only human to be offered your dreams in a crystal ball, but you were one of the rare few to turn them down. Not many can resist the temptation to learn of things that were, that are and that have not yet come to pass. That particular form of fortune-telling is what you might call a consolation prize for those who chose to run the Labyrinth and failed it. Generous of me, wouldn't you say, O Best Beloved? But it's hardly my fault that they later chose to associate it what your kind call 'evil'. Humph. Really, what use would I have for human souls?***

No, you certainly were not the first to wish and run, but you were the first in quite a long time. As belief faded from your world, that little red book was a link I had created, just to allow a trickle of belief to be sustained between your kind and myself. No publishing, no print, and only one copy. My single scripture.

And you believed, Sarah mine, in both your heart and your head. How unconsciously devoted you were, that I came to watch you read my scripture in that park! And when you called on me… Oh, it had been so long since I had been called… And by such a bratty little acolyte. Rather disappointing, really. I quite resented you at first, you were quite tedious in that way. I had hoped for something more refreshing after so long.

But later… oh, _later_…

With all your stories, you should have known not to eat food from a fae realm. Of all the things you encountered in the Labyrinth, that should have kept you bound. Yet you then astonished me on two counts.

By all accounts, you should have remained enthralled within that dream for all eternity, your mortal body crystallized in timeless sleep, dancing forever with some faceless Prince Charming****. You should have been utterly submissive to the pattern I had woven. Yet instead, you pulled me into your dream. Unconsciously yet purposefully, you sought me out and danced with me. Really, my dear, I was quite flattered. I have never played that part before, and quite thought that you viewed me only as a villain.

And then…

A thing unheard of.

You _woke up_. You _broke_ the dream.

You were not the first to wish a child away. You will not be the last to run the Labyrinth.

But Sarah, oh _Sarah_, you are the only mortal to ever break the enchantment of fae food. That will never be seen again, by any order of time or space.

It is something utterly _new_…

And the thing the fae love the most is novelty.

And so you caught my heart in your hands. You held my dreams, though you knew it not.

My one, my only, my Sarah. You rule my mind, my thoughts are all of you. And as for _your_ mind…

**_"I need you. All of you."_**

They are mine, Sarah, know you not? Although you defeated me, the Labyrinth and all within its world are mine as long as it is believed. And you who saw it all and see it still through the looking glass, you are the last believer, the last link I have to your world. You are the only one. As long as you believe, I will endure in my role. You who unknowingly still allow me to enter your world and to respond to wishes… you are my catalyst.

You may have broken the dream, but a part of you still bound by your own belief. To my world. To me.

Truly, I thank you, beloved. Tell me, what would you like as a reward?

I would offer you a crown. To be queen of my world, as you are of my heart.

It is you who holds the power to make this choice. You must come to me, as you forbade me to come to you, but only to hover around you.

Be mine, as I am yours. We will have an eternity for you to believe in. Indeed, you already have eternity, thanks to my peach*****. _Happily ever after_.

Come back Sarah. Come back, so that I can come back to you.

* * *

**Author's Notes**

****If you've bothered to read this far, you're probably aware that this rambling shambles is an attempt to give Jareth something resembling a backstory. I was intrigued, since he's not portrayed as anything resembling the other goblins in the film, yet he is still the Goblin King. He might be some 'higher' type of goblin, but he is generally viewed as a breed of Fae along the lines of the Tuatha De Danaan, so I was swinging more with that concept, whilst his goblins are all transformed, wished away children (as opposed to Pwca, a goblinesque type of faerie). It also tied in nicely with the intriguing idea that Faeries are basically actual old gods diminished by a lack of belief.

*I'm well aware that some of the names I've used for Jareth's parents aren't compatible either as roles OR as pairings, but they worked for the images in my head. Please, no one start flipping out about mythological characters being in their proper places and stories. I DO know where each of them originally feature, I'm just borrowing them to set up couples who work by virtue of certain powers.

Erl King - Character of German mythological poetry who haunted forests and stole/killed children.

Elven Queen - general term.

Oberon -Shakespeare's Faerie King and Titania's consort. Usually portrayed as the 'darker', more goblinesque one of the couple. (Often assigned 'Summer Court' alongside Ttania versus Mab.)

Titania - Shakespeare's Faerie Queen and Oberon's consort. Usually portrayed as more the flowery and 'fairy-ish' one of the couple. (Often assigned as 'Summer Court' versus Mab.)

Herne - Minor Medievial English incarnation of the Horned God (eg: Cernunnos/Pan). Supposedly based from a royal huntsman who hanged himself from an oak tree in a London park. Often associated with the 'Wild Hunt' concept. No actual partner in legend.

Mab - Another Faerie of Shakespeare - Midwife and queen of dreams and possession. No actual partner in legend. (Often assigned as Queen of the 'Winter Court' versus Titania.)

Annwyn - Oldest known Welsh Celtic Lord of the underworld/afterlife. Keeps 'hounds of the wild winds', and so often assiciated with storms and the 'Wild Hunt' concept. No actual partner in legend.

Arianrhod - Welsh Celtic celestial goddess; Lady of the Silver Wheel, mother of Lleu Llaw Gyffes. No actual partner in legend.

Gwn Ap Nudd - Second known Welsh Celtic Lord of the underworld/afterlife (apparently a successor or later incarnation of Annwyn). No actual partner in legend.

Eostre - Anglo-Saxon goddess of spring and fertility. Associated with hares. Origin of 'Easter'. No actual partner in legend._  
_

_**_References here to traditional methods of getting rid of changelings. The basic idea was that if you neglected or hurt them, they would flee or be taken back by their parents. Or you could make them laugh by setting water to boil in an eggshell._**  
**_

***Just an idea for what might have been given to those who failed the Labyrinth or who chose their dreams instead. It made me think of crystal-ball gazing, so I decided that those people received a crystal from Jareth and the ability to See in it, but because it is a kind of Dream Magic, that is why it is such an imprecise, whimsical form of Sight. Also, fortune-telling was often associated with the Devil and Jareth's mask did have horns... And people seem so determined to mistake 'difference' for 'evil'...

****A new take on how the food of Fairyland or the Underworld binds you and makes you unable to leave - you are trapped in a dream-spell. No, I don't think Jareth was in love with Sarah at the beginning, since she was so bratty, but he was intrigued by her belief and valued it. Later, she so astonished him that he loved her for amazing him like that. He's so bored these days, surrounded by childish goblins and with no believers or runners for years, that he adores this new-ness she has brought him.

*****In Chinese legend, the gods ate peaches from Xi Wangmu's heavenly garden to maintain their immortality.


	2. Begging

_**Disclaimer: Both for this chapter and having neglected the last one: I own nothing of this except my imagination.**_

* * *

_It was a well-known fact that the Goblin King was, like the realm he ruled, a most mercurial and paradoxical being. As his Queen, Sarah Williams knew this better than most. However as a girl easily bored with the mundane, she generally liked his intriguing quirks and moods, both excitable and exciting._

_And she particularly liked such traits at certain times…_

* * *

It had been a remarkably quiet day by Underground standards. No wishes, no runners, no goblin parties in the throne rooms– mostly due to Sarah having sent all of them to find her some sky hooks, claiming that as the newly-established Goblin Queen, it was her duty to make sure that the sky didn't fall on her subjects' heads. When one of the more sceptical goblins pointed out that the sky had never fallen before when there was only Kingy around, Sarah had fixed the unfortunate individual with an iron glare and replied that 'Kingy' had kindly given her the responsibility of sky maintenance as a test of Queenship… but of course, if they would rather the sky fell on their heads and she had to leave…

Nobody argued after that. Instead, a yelling, clucking torrent of goblins and chickens streamed out of the castle and dispersed into the Goblin City. No-one wanted Queenie to leave, after all.

Sarah settled herself on the throne with a slight smirk. Glancing around at the satisfyingly empty, room, she let a single word echo into the novel silence.

"Well?"

A softly raucous chuckle shuddered through the air as the lean form of the Goblin materialised, crouching above her on the back of the throne.

"Excellently managed, my dear one. I'm glad you came up with something more challenging for them than 'elbow grease'… that would have been far too easy for a certain number of them with more… 'exotic'… bodily functions" he added, wrinkling his nose.

Sarah shuddered at the thought. Craning her neck back to look up at him, she arched a brow. "In an attempt to distract my self from that disgusting concept, I'm going to ask… Are you finally going to give me my own throne now?"

In the blink of an eye, Jareth swung himself down from the throne-back to recline across her lap, leering at her playfully. Sarah tried to scowl at him. "…Get off."

"Hm, I rather think not, precious thing. To either request, that is. Methinks I like you sitting in this one too much to give you any excuse to sit elsewhere." Drawing himself slightly more upright, he brought his face close to hers and smirked slightly, cupping her chin in his hand. "However, if it's _distraction_ you desire, allow me to oblige you."

Sarah's eyes fluttered half closed as his lips feathered lightly over hers. Suddenly, she really, _really_ didn't want him going anywhere. Sighing slightly, she pushed forwards a little in an attempt to deepen the kiss, feeling his smirk widen to a grin as he teasingly leant back again. Cruel. She opened her eyes again, glaring at him and pouting slightly. With a chuckle, Jareth stroked the corner of her mouth with the tip of his gloved finger, which he then brought back to tap against his own lips as he purred softly. "Do you want it?"

Sarah snapped.

Lashing out with her own hands, she entangled one in the lace of his shirt and the other in the wild mane of his hair, dragging him close and kissing him insistently. With a soft groan, he responded, moving his lips sensually against hers, one arm wrapping around her shoulders, the other tracing the line of her jaw.

Satisfied that he wasn't about to back off again, as she trailed her tongue lightly over his lips, she loosened her grip on his shirt, bringing that hand up to join the other in his hair. With an inner smile, she teased her fingers through the strands, feeling him shiver slightly as her nails brushed his scalp. He nipped at her lips in response as one hand trailed down the back of his head towards the nape of his neck.

It was the other hand reaching his ear which surprised them both.

As she wove her fingers down through the strands over his temple, one digit bushed over the fleshy shell. Simultaneously, he gasped slightly, his eyes widening as his head tipped back involuntarily towards the gentle touch.

Blinking at the loss of Jareth's mouth against hers, Sarah stared at him, at his parted lips and wide eyes as a slight flush crept up his neck and face. Then she brought her gaze around to where the tip of one pointed ear peeked out from his thatch of hair.

"Sarah–"

Not giving him a chance to continue, she pulled the hand at his nape towards her, tipping his head forwards again and holding his forehead against hers. Then she moved her other hand slowly over his ear, trailing up to and over the tapered point and then down the outer edge to the lobe.

"Sar-_r__aaaaaaah_…" His voice trailed off into a soft moan at her actions. As she continued to caress the astonishingly sensitive zone, his body moved in a contradictory response, arching his back awkwardly as he tried desperately to press his torso closer to hers whilst pushing his head back towards her hand. Arching up to meet him, she rubbed her cheek against his, feeling him breathe in hot, light pants which whispered over her neck. His hand which had held her jaw now joined the other in clutching as her shoulders, holding her tight.

Boldly, she eased his head down to rest on her shoulder removed her hand from his ear, laying it across his shoulders to hold him in place. Even as he whined softly at the loss of her touch, she turned her head and traced the abused area with her tongue-tip. At that, the Goblin King shuddered sharply in her arms, his body going utterly limp as he let out a soft cry. "Oh gods…" He choked "_Saraaah_…"

Laughing softly, Sarah lowered her mouth slightly and blew into his ear gently. "Hmm… it seem to me that you are the one who _'wants it'_, Goblin King…" Jareth lifted his head sharply, glaring at her, sharp teeth gritted. _"Sarah"_ he growled, abruptly twisting his body from its reclining position to straddle her lap, hands biting into her shoulders and hips pressed insistently to hers, _"say it!"_

Sarah grinned smugly at him. "You have no power over me, Jareth" she murmured, watching his eyes darken at her use of his name "so I'm afraid you'll justhave to 'say it'." He stared at her mutely, lips pressed together, unwilling to cede. "No? Well then, I guess I'll up the stakes…" Reaching up again, she nipped sharply at the lobe of his ear. At the same, she brought a hand to the other, neglected ear, pinching the pointed tip lightly. She smirked as he let out a hoarse curse, bucking against her and bit back a moan of her own. "Say your right words, Goblin King, and I'll say mine…"

A final flick of her tongue against his ear did the trick.

"Sssaraah… _**please**_…"

She grinned and whispered the words softly, longingly.

"I wish that the Goblin King would take us to his bed… _right_… _**now**_."

* * *

**Author's Notes**

****OK, I admit this may seem a bit OOC for Jareth, but the fandom tends to portray him as so ridiculously adorable that I just really wanted to do this. 99.99% of fanfics are about Sarah being very submissive, but I'm a fan of controversy... Plus I have a thing for pointed ears and reogenous zones in fics. We never see Jareth's ears in the movie, but I've seen it in some fics and art (especially Asheryder's DA comic 'Roommates')and adopted it as head-canon


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